Post puller



Sept. 28, 1965 M. B. DOWELL 3,208,726

POST PULLER Filed July 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. j

72 I /6 l4 K Fig. 2 /54 I0 Sept. 28, 1965 Filed July 24, 1963 M. B. DOWELL' POST FULLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 38 Fig. 7 20 2 Marion 8. Dowel/ INVENTOR.

BY a w afim United States Patent 3,208,726 POST PULLER Marion B. Dowell, Rte. 1, Dimmitt, Tex. Filed July 24, 1963, Ser. No. 297,422 4 Claims. (CL zsprsz This invention primarily relates to a post puller attachment for a tract-or having a pivoted lifting frame.

It is the primary object of this invention to disclose a post puller attachment for a tractor equipped with a lifting frame, which is mountable on the lifting frame whereby it may be completely operated by the tractor operator without any aid or assistance from a seated position on the tractor.

A more specific object of this invention is to providea post pulling attachment which is adapted to effectively grip for removal posts of widely varied diameters.

In order to accomplish the preceding objects, it is another object of this invention to provide a post puller attachment having a transverse member mounted on and laterally adjustable with respect to the lifting frame of the tractor. A first and second clamping element is slidably disposed along said transverse member, said clamping element being provided with opposing .post gripping jaws. The first clamping element is pivotally mounted on said transverse member for pivotal movement relative to said second clamping element and is caused to pivot by a fluid motor mounted on the transverse member. By such an arrangement, a tractor operator need only actuate the fluid motor atfer having positioned the clamping jaws adjacent to the post to be pulled and then activate the lifting frame to pull the post from the ground. The opposing post gripping jaws are provided with a plurality of serrated gripping teeth for preventing slippage of said jaws with respect to the post being pulled.

A final object of this invention resides in the fact that the post puller attachment to be disclosed herein is simple in construction, eflicient in use and readily adaptable to commercial production.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the post puller attachment mounted on a tractor having a lifting frame pivotally supported at one end thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation partly broken away of the structure shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in plan of the post puller attachment and illustrating its connection to the tract-or lifting frame.

FIGURE 4 is a view in front elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 66 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 77 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the tractor generaly designated by the numeral 10 includes a vertically movable hydraulic lifting frame 12, mounted at one end thereof. The end of the frame includes a transverse supporting member 14 to which is slidably attached a transverse member 18 of the post puller attachment generally designated by the numeral 16. The transverse member or bar 18 of the post puller attachment 16 is clamped to the transverse supporting member 14 of the lifting frame 12 by means of a pair of U-bolt type clamps indicated by ice the numeral 20 and 22. As seen in FIGURE 7, the U- bolt type clamps include a pair of spaced plates such as 24 and 26 notched to receive the transverse member 18 and held together by means of the U-bolt 28. Each of the plates 24is welded or otherwise attached to lateral projections 30 extending from the ends of the supporting bar 14. Therefore, by loosening the U-bolts 28, the transverse member 18 may be slid relative thereto enabling the post puller attachment to be laterally adjusted with respect to the tractor frame.

The post puller attachment 16 further comprises a first clamping element 32 and a second clamping element 34. These elements include opposing post gripping jaws 36 and 38 which have a plurality of serrated gripping teeth 40 formed thereon. The second clamping portion 34 is slidable on the transverse member 18 and may be retained in slidably adjusted position by a U-bolt type clamp such as 42. As shown in FIGURE 5, the clamp 42 comprises a pair of spaced plates 44 and 46 being suitably notched to receive the transverse bar 18. A U-bolt 48 retains the plates 44 and 46 in clamping engagement about the transverse member 18. The second clamping portion 34 is integrally attached to the pole 46.

A bracing element 50 is rigidly attached to the second clamping element 34 at one of its ends and is adapted to slide with the element due to its sliding connection with the transverse member 18 at its other end by means of the U-bolt type clamp 52. Hence, the clamping element 34 along with the brace 50 may he slid along the transverse member 18 and clamped in stationary relation with respect to the bar 18 adjacent a post such as 54 which is to be pulled.

The first clamping element 32 is also slidable along the transverse bar 18 in a manner similar to the second clamping element 34. However, the clamping element 32 is adapted to .pivot about a vertical axis with respect to the transverse member 18 and the clamping element 34. In order to obtain this result, the U-bolt type clamp 56 which retained the clamping element 32 on the transverse member 18 in a similar manner to the clamp 42 is provided with a pair of spaced ears 58 and 60 on its forwardmost face 62. The U-bolt 64 maintains the faces 62 and 66 of the clamp 56 in clamped position about the transverse member 18. The clamp portion 32 has a rearwardly extending flange 68 which is positioned between the spaced ears 58 and 60 carried by the forwardm-ost face 62 of the clamp 56. A pivot pin 70 is threaded through aligned apertures in the ears 58 and 60 and flange 68 to .pivotably maintain the clamping element 32 on the U- bolt type clamp 76.

A fluid motor 72 adapted to be actuated through controls positioned upon the tractor 10 is adapted to pivot the clamping element 32 into biting engagement with the post 54 on a side thereof opposite the engagement of the post with the clamping element 34. The clamping elements will then firmly grip the post whereupon it may be lifted by the lifting frame 12 of the .tractor out of the ground. The fluid motor 72 has an armature 74 formed with a bifurcated end 76. A laterally extending flange 78 on the clamping element 32 is sandwiched between the furcations of the bifurcated end 76 and pivotally retained therein by means of a pin 80 or the like passing through aligned apertures in the furcations and the lateral flange 78. The opposite end of the fluid motor 72 is also bifurcated as shown at 82, the furcations of which receives therebetween a forwardly extending lug 84 on a U-bolt type clamping element 86. A pin 88 extends through aligned apertures in the furcations of the bifurcated end 82 and the lug 84 whereby said fluid motor 72 may be pivotally attached to the transverse member 18. The clamp 86 is of the general U-bolt type already disclosed in conjunction with the other elements of the invention.

In operation, the tractor is moved to a position where the post will be in contact with the jaw 38 of the clamping element 34. The fluid motor 72 will then be actuated by the operator of the tractor to force the jaw 36 of the clamping element 32 securely against the opposite side of the post. The lifting frame 12 of the tractor 10 may then be activated to lift the post 54 from the ground. If the post 54 is set unusually deep, after the lifting capacity of the tractor has been reached, the fluid motor 72 may be deactuated thereby releasing the clamp 32 from engagement with the post and the whole post pulling attachment may be lowered wherein .the process may be repeated until the post is completely removed from the ground.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a vertically adjustable, horizontally disposed, and transversely extending tractor tool bar, a post puller attachment comprising first and second elongated clamping elements, first and second clamp assemblies on said bar independently securing said first and second clamping elements, respectively, on said tool bar with said elements projecting laterally outwardly of one side of said tool bar, said clamp assemblies each being freely slidable along said bar independently of rotation relative to the latter and including means operable to releasably retain the corresponding clamp assembly in adjusted position longitudinally of said bar, said first element being pivotally secured to said first clamp assembly for swinging movement of the outer end of said first element about an axis disposed generally normal to a plane containing said elements, elongated and extendable motor means secured between said tool bar and the free swinging end portion of said first element and operable to swing said free end portion toward and away from the corresponding free end portion of said second element.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said second clamp assembly includes two separate clamp portions spaced longitudinally of said bar and adjustable longitudinally therealong, the base end of said second element being fixed rigidly to one of said clamp portions and an inclined elongated brace rigidly secured at its opposite ends to the outer end of said second element and said second clamp portion of said second clamp assembly.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the confronting surfaces of said clamping elements are roughened.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first and second clamping elements are longitudinally curved and the outer end portions thereof curved toward each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,370,528 2/45 Fontaine 29488 3,057,599 10/62 Clatterbuck 254l32 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE, HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING TRACTOR TOOL BAR, A POST PULLER ATTACHMENT COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ELONGATED CLAMPING ELEMENTS, FIRST AND SECOND CLAMP ASSEMBLIES ON SAID BAR INDEPENDENTLY SECURING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CLAMPING ELEMENTS, RESPECTIVELY, ON SAID TOOL BAR WITH SAID ELEMENTS PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF ON SIDE OF TOOL BAR, SAID CLAMP ASSEMBLIES EACH BEING FREELY SLIDABLE ALONG SAID BAR INDEPENDENTLY OF ROTATION RELATIVE TO THE LATTER AND INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLE TO RELEASABLY TO THE LATTER AND INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLE TO REJUSTED POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAIDBAR, SAID FIRST ELEMENT BEING PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID FIRST CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE OUTER END OF SAID FIRST ELEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS DISPOSED GENERALLY NORMAL TO A PLANE CONTAINING SAID ELEMENTS, ELONGATED AND EXTENDABLE MOTOR MEANS SECURED BETWEEN SAID TOOL BAR AND THE FREE SWINGING END PORTION OF SAID FIRST ELEMENT AND OPERABLE TO SWING SAID FREE END PORTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE CORRESPONDING FREE END PORTION OF SAID SECOND ELEMENT. 